She's Not His
by TomMaier
Summary: Aang finally gets his dream girl, but after a four year relationship and two years of marriage, everything changes. Aang is left broken and hurt. Can Toph help him get back to his old self?
1. Chapter 1

He ended a war. He got the girl. He redeemed himself for running away. All of this at the age of twelve. With all of these accomplishments, you think he'd be happy and full of relief, right? Well, he was. For six years he was. So why was he so angry now? Why had his heart been filled with such despair and sadness? Why had he run off from his problems once more, secluding himself in his old room in the Southern Air Temple? Because she wasn't his.

**Six Years Ago**

He stood out on the balcony of the Jasmine Dragon, looking out to the sky, admiring the peace he, _they_, had restored. Children had single-handedly ended the Hundred Year War. He sighed deeply as a smile came to his face. Did he expect their troubles to be over with? No, but he did expect them to be less severe. He heard footsteps and turned to see her walking towards him, maintaining an air of elegance she had never shown before. _Her_. He had fought for her, won it all for her. He knew how much hope she held for him, and there was no way he would lose. He couldn't let himself.

She came closer and closer with each step. She joined him in gazing out at the land of peace. Quick eye contact caused a faint blush to rise on their cheeks. Slowly, they turned to each other, both having the same feeling fluttering in their stomach. Hesitantly, yet fluently, their lips met. This wasn't like the kiss on the submarine the day of the eclipse, or the stolen kiss the night of the Ember Island Players' performance. This was deep, passionate, _mutual_. They both felt it deep in their hearts, just how right it all felt. With unspoken words, their relationship began right there. Grinning widely, hand in hand, the two headed back inside.

"Hey, everyone! Me and Katara are together!" Aang shouted in joy. There was a silence stricken in the room. Finally, someone decided to break it.

"It's about time!" Toph shouted, causing the Gaang and Iroh to break into hysterical laughter, embarrassment edging its was across the two newly coupled heros' faces. While the others were laughing and giving their congratulations, nobody seemed to notice the young earth bender slip away from the group. Aang was beaming. Life couldn't be any better right now. After a few hours, stories, and many cups of tea, Aang felt the call of nature, and found it best to answer in this case.

He began wandering the halls, following Zuko's directions. He found himself lost and near their rooms. "The Jasmine Dragon is a lot bigger on the inside then it looks. I wonder how-" he was cut off by the sounds of sobbing. Closing his eyes, he slammed a foot down on the floor. Using his seismic sense, he found a small body curled on the floor in a room two doors back. Slowly, he tip-toed back to the room and leaned an ear against it. The sobbing had been reduced to a soft sniffle. The room was silent, so Aang concentrated more, pressing further against the door. Suddenly, it fell open, spilling him onti the floor.

"What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?" Toph asked in a hoarse voice. Aang looked over her, seeing the dried spots where the tears had been falling, hr eyes were red and puffy. What surprised him the most was the slight quiver of her lip as she stared at him. He was speechless. He never expected to see his rough-n-tough earth bending teacher, and best friend in such a state. "Well?" she asked more sternly, breaking his thoughts.

"I heard you crying, so I figured I'd come check on you" he spoke timidly. "Toph-"

"First off, Twinkles, I _don't _cry. There was something in my eye is all. Second, even if I was crying, which I wasn't, I don't need help. Not from anyone." Her eyes narrowed into a glare. If looks could kill...

"Toph, you're so good at reading people's lies, but you're so bad at making them up." He took a step forward, grabbing her hands. "Toph, you're my best friend. You can tell me anything. What's wrong?" She simply kept her eyes glued to the floor. partly to avoid the question, and partly to hide the blush appearing on her cheeks.

"I don't wanna talk about it" she said in a deadpan tone. "It's something I have to deal with alone."

"Toph, I'm always here for you. And as long as I am, you _never_ have to deal with anything alone" he told her. "Now, what is it?"

"Aang, please..." she used his real name to show she was serious. "I just want to deal with it alone..." All hope of figuring out the problem was gone the minute she used his name. He let go of her hands, letting them fall to her sides. His shoulders slouched down in defeat, eyes closing in frustration and understanding all at the same time. He sighed deeply.

"Toph, if you ever need someone, I'm always here to talk, no matter what time it is or what I'm doing. Understand?" she nodded slowly, still looking down. She looked so much like the small fragile child her parents thought she was in this moment. He was about to leave when he suddenly turned around, wrapping his long arms around Toph. He hugged her tightly and left. Blushing, Toph made her way to the bed in the room and simply sat, mulling over the events that had just occurred.

**Not bad for a Chapter 1 i think. But what I think isn't important. How did you like this chapter? I know Toph seems out of character, but love's tough, right? Reviews are greatly appreciated. **


	2. Chapter 2

Aang decided to keep the conversation he'd had with Toph a secret. She probably wouldn't like him blabbing about her crying. _It'd probably end in _me _crying_ Aang thought to himself. As much as he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Something had really upset her and he couldn't figure out what. Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. He walked through the doorway, back into the main room and took his seat beside Katara. she grabbed his hand and smiled at him. He smiled back, forgetting his previous troubles.

"So tell me, young Avatar, what are your and Miss Katara's plans now that there is peace around the world?" Iroh asked with a warm smile. Aang put a finger to his chin in thought.

"Well, I haven't really thought about it. I guess I'd like to rebuild the Air Temples. They need quite a lot of work. So much of it's been destroyed..." he trailed off, a saddened look coming to his eyes, but he shook it off. "...and if anyone should rebuild the Air Temples, it should be me, right?"

"Well I hope you don't plan on doing it alone, right?"

Everyone turned to see Toph leaning against the door frame.

"You may have beaten the Loser Lord, but your earth bending skills definately aren't developed enough to rebuild entire temples" she added with her signature smirk. "Besides, you didn't think I'd be easy to get rid of, did you?" Aang smiled, happy to see Toph back to her normal self.

"But first I'm going to need you to help me. I was thinking about going back to the Southern Water Tribe. Maybe trying to rebuild the village into a city" Katara added.

"Yeah! If it used to be anything like the Northern Water Tribe, then it should be restored! Maybe Chief Arnook will even let you borrow a few benders to help out" he said with a smile. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, we could do that in no time, sweetie" he said, causing a blush to come to her cheeks.

"A-HEM!" Sokka coughed, grabbing their attention. "Please, not in front of the big brother!"

"Well, it's not like they don't have to watch you and Suki swap spit every few minutes" Zuko chimed in. The two began one of their usual banters, causing everyone to roll their eyes, besides Iroh, who just laughed to himself, muttering something about youth. Katara made her way over to the two boys and began yelling herself, trying to disband the argument. Everyone just watched in amusement. Toph made her way over to Aang.

"Hey Toph! So, d'you take care of that thing?" he asked hopefully.

"Wha-? Oh yeah, that. Yeah, I got it under control" she said, faking a smile to him. "So, Twinkles, when's the big, fluffy train leaving for the Air Temples?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not completely sure how long it'll take to make everything how it used to be. I'd like to start _and_ finish as soon as possible." He smiled at her. "It's not every day you get to rebuild a lost city" he joked. She let out a small chuckle.

"True. Which Temple are we startin' with?"

"Southern" he replied quickly. "My home. I'd like for that to be the first one done. It's gunna be wierd going back after-"

"Yeah, yeah, touchy feely stuff" she said, waiving her hand dismissively. "Well, listen here, Twinkle toes, there is no way I'm flying all the way there. Ground travel is necessary for this trip."

"Um, Toph...it'll take weeks for us to get there by foot. Plus, you can't get to the temples without a flying bison..." he spoke matter-of-factly.

"Well, the Fire Nation proved you wrong, didn't they?" She regretted the words as soon as she said them. She felt his heart jump and her hand shot up to her mouth. "Aang, I'm sorry..."

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's in the past right?" he said with a smile, losing it on her. "Sure I'm upset they're gone, but you're right anyways." She wasn't feeling any better. "Besides, if it really means that much to you, we can walk. But not the _whole _way there. What do you plan on doing in the mean time?"

"Well, I was thinkin'...maybe going to see my parents. I'd like to see if they'll change now, knowing I've helped in ending the war. I doubt they will...but you can always hope, right?" she asked with a smile. "If it's not too much trouble, do you think you could drop me off to Gaoling when you guys leave for the South Pole?"

"Yeah, Toph. No problem" he said smiling. "Whenever we get finished, I'll send you a letter telling you we're on our way. Deal?" he asked, holding his hand out. With a smile, she grabbed it.

"Deal." There was a big crash causing the two to cringe. Looking over, Aang saw that Sokka and Zuko were rolling around the floor, trying to fight, knocking over several flower pots in the process. He couldn't help but laugh.

Later that evening, Sokka revealed his plans to return to Kyoshi Island with Suki. Nobody was very surprised, considering how obsessed the two were with each other. Soon enough, it was night time and everyone was asleep in their beds. Well...almost everyone.

Toph was stirring in her bed, deeply lost in a lack of sleep. Her thoughts were keeping her awake. She couldn't figure out why Aang had chosen _her_ over herself. Growling in frustration, she rolled herself out of bed and took a walk around the building, searching for the kitchen in hopes of finding a tea to calm her nerves. She easily found her way, being able to see better in the dark than everyone else can in the day. "Alright, now the hard part..." she began sliding her hands across the countertop in hopes of finding the tea pot, spark rocks, and tea leaves. "Aha" she shouted in a whisper, finding the rocks and leaves. "Now all that's left is the-" CRASH! "...kettle..." with just sliding her hands across the counter top, she'd knocked the pot straight to the floor. She froze as soon as it happened, listening and feeling for anyone's steps. As if on que, a pair of sleepy feet made their way down the hallway towards the kitchen.

"Toph?" a non-too graceful looking Suki asked. "What happened?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Uh...hey, Fangirl. I couldn't sleep, so I came to make some tea...killing the kettle in the process."

"Clay or glass?" Suki asked.

"I think it was his new glass one...why?"

"Well, if it was a clay pot, you could have bent the shards either back together or at least off of the floor, but..." she walked over to the pantry, coming back with a broom and dustpan. "...since it's not, we'll have to sweet it up." She turned and lit one of the lanterns in the kitchen and began sweeping up the mess. Toph, not easily embarrassed, looked to the ground with red cheeks. Her blindness causing things like this to happen were one of the very few things that got to her. "Hey, you OK?" Toph just sat in silence. Letting out a sigh, Suki continued. "Toph, it's not your fault. You didn't know where it was." Silence. Toph just shuffled her feet like a child would.

"It's not just about the kettle..." she said shyly. Suki's ears perked at the vulnerability in Toph's tone.

"Well...what is it?"

"Suki...have you ever wanted...something...but couldn't have it?" Toph asked.

"I'm afraid I don't understand..."

"*Sigh* Well, say you..._liked_ someone...but they didn't like you back? What would you do?"

"Oh...um...well how do you know he doesn't like you back?" Toph's mind replayed the vibrations she felt of the kiss.

"I just...know..." she said painfully, a tear sliding down her face. Suki picked up on the hurt in her voice. She was shocked. She'd never seen Toph, of all people, so vulnerable. Toph's hands began trembling slightly. Suki set down the dustpan full of glass and walked over to Toph, grabbing her shoulders and speaking gently.

"Oh Toph... I'm sorry" she said, pulling the smaller girl into her arms. Toph wrapped her arms around Suki, silently letting more tears fall. "Who is it?" she asked cautiously. Toph was silent, thinking about whether or not to tell her.

"Promise not to tell?" She felt Suki nodding. "A-Aang... I'm in love with Aang..." Suki's eyes widened and she pulled Toph away, looking her in the eyes.

"Aang?" Toph nodded with a quivering lip.

"Oh Spirits, Toph...today must've been terrible for you..." she nodded again. The two were silent for a few moments.

"Do you think it's because I'm blind?" she asked. Suki looked at Toph in disbelief.

"No! That can't be it! Toph, you embrace your blindness and get along with it so well that we forget you're blind ourselves. If anything, your blindness is _admirable_." A smile came to the young girl's face.

"You really mean that?"

"Yeah, I do. Besides, I don't think it's that there's any things he doesn't like about you. He's just got eyes for Katara is all. Sokka said he's liked her since he came out of the ice. So it's nothing you've done. OK?"

"OK...Suki? Thanks..." she said in almost a whisper. After a moment of silence, Toph swung her arm, her fist colliding with Suki's arm. "If you tell anyone about this talk, you'll wake up buried alive" she said with a smile. Rubbing her arm, Suki smiled back.

"You got it Toph. Now, let's make you that tea."

Toph found herself much more tired than before, figuring that maybe sharing feelings wasn't all _that_ bad. She was now on her bed, eyes locked onto the ceiling, she was beginning to nod off to sleep when...

-**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!-**

"Toph, it's time to get up!" Katara shouted into the young earth bender's room. Toph's eyebrows furrowed. A deep growling sound resonated in her chest. Her firsts clenched. The Jasmine Dragon shook.

"**AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!**"

Downstairs, Sokka slurped his entire bowl of noodles in fear and shock. His hands began to tremble.

"Who woke Toph up early?" he whispered.

(A/N: Think of the scene in _Jurassic Park_ where Lex sees the shadow of the velociraptor in the cafeteria)

Covering her face with the pillow, Toph began kicking and screaming, cursing any of Katara's descendants.

"Toph?"

She stopped kicking around, his voice almost soothing her temper with its airy tone.

"Mmm?"

"You let it all out?"

"...mhm..."

"Good! Now come on downstairs. Breakfast is served. It's your favorite!" he said excitedly. She uncovered her face, an eyebrow raised in confusion. Proping herself up on an elbow, she faced the doorway.

"Twinkletoes, every food is my favorite..."

"Yeah, I know! Now come on, you wouldn't want it to get cold, would you?" he asked in a sing-song voice like she was a child, bounding down the halls. She chuckled at his behavior and rose out of bed. He was always able to make her do things nobody else could. Had anyone else come to her, she'd have earth bended them into next week. But not him...

Sleepily, she shuffled her feet towards the kitchen.

"Good morning, young Toph!" Iroh shouted with glee, a chuckle escaping him.

"Ughmornin'" was all Toph could muster up for the old man.

"Trouble sleeping?" he asked, handing her a bowl of noodles and a cup of tea.

"Yeah, something like that..." she answered, recalling the hours she'd spent tossing and turning the night before.

"Yeah, I'm pretty good at reading people usually, but your hair is the giveaway in this case" he said with a laugh. Her hand reached up, and indeed her hair was all on end like a large boarqupine. Sighing in defeat, she made her way to the table and sat with everyone else. There was a large silence besides the sound if a certain air bender slurping his noodles as if there was nothing at all going on. Sokka sat in his seat shaking while everyone else, save for Aang, sat nervously awaiting a reaction out of Toph.

"Well?" she asked, tapping her foot on the floor. "Why am I not asleep right now?"

"Weren't you listening yesterday?" Katara asked in a frustrated tone. "We're leaving at noon! How on earth didn't you hear us? You were standing right there!"

"_Look_, Sugarqueen, I've already got a mom, so whenever you're ready to stop trying to take her place, that'd be great" Toph said in a dismissive tone and began slurping her noodles loudly.

"Oh, no! Not this again" Sokka groaned, covering his ears and shaking his head. "Look, Toph. Yesterday while you were lost in the magical world of fruit pies," he said, glaring at Aang, who shrugged and smiled sheepishly, "we decided to head out this morning, hence the early rise. If we pack up and leave in an hour, we should be to Kyoshi by morning tomorrow" he said quickly.

-break-

Aang was shaken from his memory by a small pair of hands tapping on his head. He turned to see Momo sitting on his shoulder. He chirped quietly and tilted his head to the side. Aang let out a sigh he was not aware he was holding in. He reached up and scratched the small lemur's head.

"Well, looks like it's just the three of us now, Momo. You, me, and Appa." He looked away with a deepening sadness in his eyes. "The last living proof that the Air Nomads existed." Bending the air around him, he brought himself to his feet and began walking around the Southern Air Temple. He began reminiscing his time there as a child, and one of his earliest entrances into the Avatar State. Shaking his head of his memories, he made his way up to his old room to find it just as he'd left it, window open and all. Sighing once again, he walked across the room, closing the very window that changed his life forever. He sat himself down on his bed and stretched out his limbs. Letting out a groan of frustration, he lied himself down for what he knew would be another night of no sleep. As much as he tried, his thoughts would not stop wandering back to how things used to be.

**Chapter 2 up! I apologize for the wait, but I hope you like it!**


	3. Chapter 3

Aang stared at the ceiling, hands behind his head. He just couldn't believe how it had all fallen apart so fast. While he was out doing his duty, the world back home came crashing down. His mind absently replayed the memories once more.

-transition-

"Ugh..." groaned a severely air-sick Toph. "There's just no way to travel with you guys that agrees with my stomach..." quickly, she leaned over the side of Appa's saddle, releasing what little she had of her lunch left in her stomach.

"Don't worry, Toph, we're almost there! I can see Kyoshi now!" Aang shouted from Appa's head.

"Oh I can't wait to see all the girls again!" Suki shouted, almost shaking with excitement. "Oh I hope they didn't get lazy on me..."

"Come on, Suki. You're super scary sometimes. I don't think they'd be foolish enough to..." Sokka trailed off, noticing the death glare he was receiving from his girlfriend.

"Oh, so you think I'm scary now?" she asked, venom in her words.

"Well..." he began slouching and pulling up his collar in a poor attempt to hide. "Sometimes... but only when you're angry...?" Big mistake.

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I'M THE MOST CALM PERSON AROUND HERE! I _NEVER_ GET MAD ABOUT ANYTHING! AANG, DO YOU THINK I'M SCARY?"

"What? The wind's too loud in my ears!" he shouted back, figuring it best to avoid the conversation.

"Denial...the first sign that you have a problem..." slurred a very unhealthy looking Toph. Though she still managed to grin slightly.

"Toph, are you sure you'll be OK? You look terrible..." Katara asked softly, making her way over to the small girl.

"L-look, Sugar Queen, I said I'd be fine, so I'll be fine, got it?" she replied with a woozy tone.

"If you say so..." she replied in defeat.

"OK, guys, we're going down!" Aang shouted in excitement. There was a crowd gathering at the shore. Among them, of course, foaming mouth guy, screaming his head off, white foam flowing freely from his face. As Appa landed, Aang was the first to jump off (Airbender's advantage). He was quickly surrounded by swooning girls. There was a loud thud. Aang turned to see his earthbending teacher face down on the ground, not moving. With the help of a little airbending, he made his way out of the crowd and to her side.

"Sifu T! Are you OK?" he asked in a worried tone.

"Mmmm mm mhm mm..."

"Uh?" She lifted her face from the dirt.

"Much better now I can see" she said, allowing her face to fall back to the ground beneath her. Aang began laughing, before being crowded by a bunch of young girls.

"Aangy!" they shouted, nearly tackling him in the process.

"Hey girls!" he shouted with a grin. He looked over to see Katara looking on with a miffed expression. He mearly shrugged and airbent himself out of the crowd, landing with an arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry, sweetie. I've only got eyes for you" he said, adding a kiss on the cheek, making her blush furiously.

"Aang! Not in public!" she whispered, rubbing her arm nervously. He just chuckled, lookking up to see a glaring Sokka. He shrunk back behind Katara fearfully.

"Welcome Avatar!" a voice shouted. The Gaang looked over to see Oyaji walking towards them surrounded by the Kyoshi warriors.

"Commander Suki!" They shouted, surrounding Suki and embracing her tightly.

"Girls!" she shouted with a laugh. They all backed off and stood at attention.

"Oh, Suki, it's so wonderful to see you again!" shouted a wide-eyed, big smiled Ty Lee. "We all missed you so, so much!" she shouted with a giggle.

"Oh I missed you girls too. Have you been keeping up in your training?" Suki asked, raising an eyebrow. There was a chorus of groans throughout the warriors. One girl, Ji, stepped forward.

"Ty Lee's been running us ragged day in and day out. The only reason we wouldn't be in top shape is because of exhaustion" she said, glaring, along with the other girls, at Ty Lee. Ty Lee just blushed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Well I know if I didn't, then you'd probably have my hide, Suki" she said with a chuckle.

"Well duh!" she laughed. "Of course I would! You took over in the time we needed training the most. I'd be angry if it had gone any other way" she said with a smile. Oyaji made his way to the Gaang with a smile on his face.

"It is an honor to have you here on Kyoshi Island, Avatar Aang. To what do we owe the pleasure?" he said with a bow.

"Well, we're here to return your captain, and Sokka wants to stay here with you guys" he replied with a cheery tone. "We're making our way to the South Pole to rebuild it, since it's just kind of a little village now..." he trailed off.

"Excellent! So, how long can we be expecting you to stay?" he asked. Aang took a look from Oyaji to the crowd of fans standing behind him.

"Well..." Kartara suddenly rushed to his side.

"Unfortunately, we can't stay all too long. We have to leave today" she said quickly.

"What?" Aang asked, looking at her with pleading eyes, only to be met with a glare.

"That's a shame. Everyone here had a great time the last time you were here" Oyaji said.

"Yes, well, him being the Avatar, the job never stops" Katara said with a forced chuckle as she began to push Aang off. "Excuse us."

"Katara, why do we have to leave so soon?" he asked with a whine.

"Aang, don't give me that. You know what happened last time we were here. Your ego flew through the roof!"

"Relax, Sugar Queen" said Toph, making her way to her feet. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say I'm detecting a note of jealousy in that tone" she said, sporting her Blind Bandit smirk.

"I am NOT jealous!" Toph held up a foot, pointing at it.

"The feet do _not _lie, sister." She began wiggling her toes. "The feet do _not _lie." Blushing, Katara let out a frustrated growl and stormed off, muttering something to herself. Toph made her way over to Aang. "She;s certainly easy to rile up, isn't she?" she asked, still smirking. Aang just let out a laugh.

"Yeah, and you love to be the one to start her up, huh?"

"Well, love is a strong word...but yes" she said, her smile widening. "I do love it."

"Melon Lord strikes again" and added with a smile. "You've certainly got an evil side to ya, Toph. Certainly glad you ended up on our side." She just laughed and punched him in the arm.

"Well, _someone_ had to shape your jelly bones up to being the worlds third greatest earthbender."

"Third?"

"Duh, Badgermoles, then me, then you. I can't say I'm better than the origionals."

"Well, sometimes, the student _can _surpass the master. This might be one of those times" Aang said mischievously. Toph brought her hand up to her chin as if thinking.

"You know, you're right. After everything that happened the day of the comet, maybe the student _has_ surpassed the mater." A hint of hope entered Aangs eyes... "Me, then the Badgermoles, then you." ...only to be crushed. Toph felt his heart rate change and turned around, walking away in a fit of laughter. Suddenly, the ground came up under one of her feet, causing her to stumble. After regaining her balance, she turned around, glaring at Aang. His heart rate spiked because he noticed her blind eyes locked onto his.

"Uh..."

She began walking closer.

"No..Toph, I'm sorry!" he raised his hands up defensively.

Her stomps grew harder.

"I-I didn't mean it!"

Now she was right in front of him, eyes still locked. Slowly, she raised a hand to his face. His heart rate was through the roof. He simply sat in anticipation for what was coming next when he felt two fingers close around his nose. She simply shook his head side to side, and released him, falling on the ground in a fit of laughter.

"Hahahha! You should have felt your heart! Hahaha You were so scared! Ahahahahaha! I think- I think I scare you more than Ozai did!" She continued laughing as Aang's embarrassment grew. He simply turned around and stomped away, face flushed with red. He soon found himself beside Sokka, who was looking at the many meats he'd been presented with by the people of the island. Sokka noticed Aang's face.

"Hey, what's with you?" he asked.

"Ugh...Toph...her jokes and pranks...sometimes it's just too much!" he shouted.

"Woah, relax buddy. Look, it's just who Toph is. Remember, it used to be _me _she' prank all the time. Now how do you think I felt?"

"Well, how'd you get her to stop?"

"I didn't. One day, she just did. I think it was around when me and Zuko went to The Boiling Rock. Maybe she'll just get bored with it. Just ignore it. Now, leave me to my meats" he said, rubbing his hands, a savage grin overcoming his face.

Aang turned to see Katara laughing with the Kyoshi warriors. A smitten smile came across his face. _You did it_ he thought to himself. _Won the war, redeemed yourself, and got the most beautiful girl in the world._ As if hearing his thoughts, Katara looked over to him, a blush growing on her face.

The day went on in a peaceful manner. Celebrations were had, feasts prepared, gifts given and made, and eventually, the time came to leave, having given Appa all day to rest up. As the Gaang neared Appa, they began their goodbyes. Aangbowed to Sokka, who just grabbed him into a tight hug, whispering into his ear _Take care of my baby sister._ Toph was next. There was an awkward silence as either waited for the other to make the first move, knowing Toph wasn't big on affection. Sokka held out a hand. With a smile, Toph grabbed his forearm, and him hers. They pulled each other into one of Toph's very rare open displays of affection. They parted, not before a solid punch in the arm was given. Now was the most anticipated moment of the night. Katara stood before her older brother, her protector, her hero. Her eyes teared up. Sokka stared deep into her eyes, remembering all of the good times they had together. Watching her grow up so fast after losing their mother. Tears began forming in his eyes as well. As if in at an unseen qeue, the two lunged towards each other, hugging tightly. No words were said, the tears had said it all. They reluctantly parted and she turned towards Appa, climbing up his tail, taking place on the saddle. After many shouted farewells, and one loud 'Yip-yip', they were off, flying off into the night. Sokka stood, watching his baby sister, waving until she was no longer in sight.

**Chapter 3. Not super long, but I must apologize. I'm having severe writer's block with this story. I know I have a good plot and all, but I'm just finding it hard to piece it all together with details. Reviews are welcomed! I'll try to update more frequently. **


	4. Chapter 4

They continued flying through the night, having rested Appa the entire day on Kyoshi Island. The Gaang took this opportunity to spend some much needed time together before their big goodbye. Sitting around the saddle, Aang was animatedly describing some of the things the kids at the Air Temples used to do when he was young.

"...And I give you my Avatar's Honor, it took a week to clean out all of the water" he said, putting a hand over his heart to pledge it to them. Katara and Toph began laughing loudly at the story.

"Wait a minute, if the Air Nomads just lived and went wherever they want, and technically don't own any lamd besides the temples, does that mean you're all just vagabonds, squatters, and hoboes?" Toph asked. Aang let out a laugh.

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess you could say that we are. But being a nomad, life doesn't really revolve around possession. It's about freedom and not having a set life" he said, voice filled with emotion.

"Yeah, that's something I've wanted to ask" Katara spoke up. "If nomads aren't supposed to be connected to anything, why do you have your glider? And a sky bison?"

"Well, you see, the glider..." he said, picking it up"...it a tool we use to fly, allowing us the most freedom we can achieve. As for the bison, it's more of a companionship. I don't see Appa as a possession. I see him just as I see you guys. He's my best friend" Aang said with a smile. "Monk Gyasto told me a sky bison is meant to be a friend even if nobody else will." A moment of comfortable silence passed as everyone took in the information.

"Did they marry?" Toph asked.

"'Scuse me?" Aang asked, surprised Toph'd ask.

"The Nomads. When they found love, did they marry?"

"Well, normally, the boys are separated from the girls...so I'm not entirely sure. The only time I remember seeing any girls was the day we were to chose our bison..." he answered. "I don't remember seeing any couples either..."

"Must have been boring. No flirting, no romance, nothing" Toph answered. Both Aang and Katara looked at her with shocked expressions. "What? Despite my rough n' tough attitude, I'm a romantic at heart" she said. The other two just broke out into laughter. She mearly shrugged and crossed her arms.

"So Toph, how do you think your parents will react when you return?" Katara asked. "If it's anything like last time, I doubt we're in for a very pleasant visit."

"Well, I'm a war hero now, and the world's greatest earthbender. They pretty much have no choice but to accept it" she said with a smile. "And even if they don't, it's not like I can't escape" she said, a mischievous smirk coming to her mouth. Aang and Katara chuckled. Katara let out a loud yawn.

"Man, I'm tired. I'm going to sleep. Wake me in the morning." She crawled over to Aang, giving him a kiss on the cheek before making her way to the back of Appa's saddle. Aang just sat there with a blush on his face. The two sat in silence until a light snoring was heard coming from Katara.

"How are you holding up?" Aang asked in a whisper.

"Wide awake. Just taking in the sights" she said, looking around the ocean. Aang let out a light laugh.

"You know, Toph, that's something I really admire about you. You're blind, but not only did you overcome it and accept it, but you joke about it" he said with in a whisper.

"Really?" Toph asked with a blush. She remembered what Suki'd said about this. She blessed the spirits that it was night and he couldn't see.

"Oh yeah" he smiled. "You are very strong about yourself and know who you are. It's very admirable." Her cheeks just got redder.

"Thanks Aang. You know, you were my very first friend. Sure, I had maids and butlers who'd talk to me and keep me company, but nobody would really...connect with me. But you...no matter how much I pushed you away at first, you came through for me. Sure, it was as a teacher, but you stuck around even after we were done. You're the first person to see me for who I am, not what you see. " She wiped a tear from her eye. "Thank you." She suddenly felt two long arms wrapped around her once again. She gasped, feeling his warmth around her.

"You don't have to thank me, Toph. I only did what was right. The monks always told us to get to know someone before fully judging them." He smiled to her, even though she couldn't see it. Toph reached her arms around him and pulled him in close.

"Aang, you're my best friend, and I hope nothing comes between that" she said honestly. She pulled away reluctantly. A moment of comfortable silence came over them. Suddenly, Top reached out and punched Aangs arm. "Tell _anyone_ I got soft on you, and you'll be-"

"Buried faster than I can blink... I know" he said with a chuckle, rubbing his arm. Another moment of silence. "Toph?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, I-uh, I never really apologized for...you know...the desert." He saw her flinch slightly. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that... It's just...well, Appa's all I have from the Air Nomads. If I lost Appa...I don't know what I'd do..." he trailed off.

"Aang. It's OK. I know what it's like to lose someone close to you...I'm just glad we found him" she added with a smile. "Hey, Aang?"

"Yeah?"

"What do stars look like?" she asked reluctantly.

"Hmm..." he thought for a moment, tapping his chin with a finger. "Well, I don't know how to describe it. I mean, they're just millions of dots of light floating around in the darkness..."

"Oh, OK. Um..."she began, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her shirt. "What do _I_ look like?" she asked, blush coming to her face. At first, Aang was puzzled. How do you describe to someone what they look like, if they can't see what you're describing? He brought his finger to his chin, tapping it in thought.

_What _does_ she look like? _The more he thought, the more confused he became. _I don't think I've ever really seen Toph's face without her hair covering it..._he thought to himself.

"Well...I'm not sure" he answered, rubbing his neck nervously. Toph cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"What do you mean? I'm like, always around you" she spoke.

"Well, you always have your face covered by your bangs so...I'm not entirely sure. Maybe if you moved them out of the way?" Toph reached up to pull them back but failed to grasp all of it, hair falling back over her face. After several attempts, she let out a growl of annoyance and tugged on the string of her headband. Her midnight dark hair flowed over her shoulders and face, almost reaching to her waist. "Wow, that's a lot of hair" Aang spoke in awe.

"Yeah, yeah" she said. She took her headband and brought it up around her head, pulling back the loose hair from her face. "How 'bout now?"

"Well, the hair problem's solved, but I can't really see you. You have the moon behind you, so you're kinda eclipsing yourself right now" he said with a quiet laugh.

"Oh, OK" she said, shuffling herself to face him in the light. Slowly, she lifted her face to meet his gaze. Aang's eyes widened as he took in the first _real_ look at his best friend. The slight pout of her lips, the point of her nose, the almost unreal look of her eyes, and how her hair seemed to almost cascade down from her head like a black waterfall. He felt a blush come to his cheeks as he took it all in.

"Wow... Toph, you're _beautiful_" he said in a whisper. Her eyes widened slightyly and her mouth opened in surprise. She felt her cheeks heat up.

"R-really?" she asked nervously, almost like she was afraid it was some sort of joke.

"Yeah" he answered with a smile. "I don't know why you hide your face."

"What about me makes me beautiful?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, you have a nice nose, round cheeks, umm...well, pink lips, and your eyes are...unique. I know it doesn't really make sense explained that way, but..."

"What about my eyes is unique?"

"Well, while most people have colors to their eyes, like mine are gray, Katara and Sokka's are blue, yours are like a white-green color. It's very nice" he said to her with a smile. With that, the blush only grew deeper.

"Thanks..." she said sheepishly. He just chuckled.

"No problem." Toph's heart was pounding in her chest. She was nervous at the intimacy of the moment. She had a question she wanted to ask, but she was too shy. After another moment of silence, she blurted out.

"Can I see you?" At first, Aang cocked his head to the side.

"Uh...how?" Nervously, she raised a hand and wiggled her fingers. A smile came to the airbender's face. "Sure, Toph." Cautiously, as if she thought he'd break, she brought her fingers towards his face, pausing just inches before making contact. She took in a sharp breath when he grabbed her wrist and guided it to his face. It's warmer than she'd thought it would be. Slowly, very slowly, taking in every feature, she slides her hand across his skin. She feels the curve of his cheek, mentally drawing a picture. Down to his chin, pulling it all into an image. Her thumb brushes his lips over a few times. _What I'd give..._ she thought to herself. sliding up to his nose. _It's smaller than I expected._ Next. the eyes. She'd heard the color described as grey, though she wasn't exactly sure what it was, it was her new favorite color, behind green, of course. She moves across his forehead, a puzzled look coming to her face.

"Where's your arrow?" she asked. She's always heard everyone saying about his arrow, but now, as she moves her hands across his forehead, she is surprised to feel smooth skin. Aang just let out a light laugh.

"Well, Toph, a tattoo is just like a drawing on your skin. It's seen, but it's not feelable" he explained with a smile. Her mouth formed an 'o' shape of understanding.

"So...where is it?"

"Well, it comes up from the middle of my back, up over my head, and around like this" he said, bringing a finger to her forehead. She gasped at the contact, heat rising to her face. He traced the area where the arrow would be if she had one. As his finger came to the point between her eyebrows, a shiver ran down her spine. "And that's where it ends." She just sat still, in shock of the closeness they'd just shared. _I have to tell him..._she thought to herself. "Toph? You OK?" She looked up to him, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Aang...I...look, I gotta..." _I can't do it..._ "I gotta go to bed, I'm really tired."

"You sure?" he asked, slightly disappointed, still being wide awake.

"Yeah" she replied, adding a fake yawn. "G'night Twinkletoes" she said, lying down onto her side, back facing him.

"Night, Toph. Sweet dreams."

"Yeah...you too" she said, a tear sliding down her face.

**Sorry for the wait. Life's been busy and I've also had a bit of writer's block. I threw in some Taang teasing. Hope you like it. Review please.**


	5. Adoption!

This story is up for adoption! If anyone wants to take over, send me a PM, and I'll send you the plot details and all of the things you need. I'm just at an incredible creative block and I'm looking for someone with loads of creativity to make this story a good one. Thank you.

Tom Maier


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